Books: The Diary of Samuel Pepys

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6th. I believe not less than one thousand people in the streets.
But it is a pretty thing to observe that both there and every
where else, a man shall see many women now-a-days of mean sort in
the streets, but no men; men being so afraid of the press. I
dined with Sir G. Carteret, and after dinner had much discourse
about; our public business; and he do seem to fear every day more
and more what I do; which is a general confusion in the State;
plainly answering me to the question, who is it that the weight
of the warr depends upon? that it is only Sir W. Coventry. He
tells me, too, the Duke of Albemarle is dissatisfied, and that
the Duchesse do curse Coventry as the man that betrayed her
husband to the sea: though I believe that it is not so. Thence
to Lumburd-streete, and received 2000l., and carried it home:
whereof 1000l. in gold. This I do for security sake, and
convenience of carriage; though it costs me above 70l. the change
of it, at 18 1/2d per peece. Creed tells me he finds all things
mighty dull at Court; and that they now begin to lie long in bed;
it being, as we suppose, not seemly for them to be found playing
and gaming as they used to be; nor that their minds are at ease
enough to follow those sports, and yet not knowing how to employ
themselves, (though there be work enough for their thoughts and
councils and pains,) they keep long in bed. But he thinks with
me, that there is nothing in the world can help us but the King's
personal looking after his business and his officers, and that
with that we may yet do well; but otherwise must be undone:
nobody at this day taking care of anything, nor hath any body to
call him to account for it.

10th. To the office; the yard being very full of women, (I
believe above three hundred) coming to get money for their
husbands and friends that are prisoners in Holland; and they lay
clamouring and swearing and cursing us, that my wife and I were
afraid to send a venison-pasty that we have for supper to-night,
to the cook's to be baked, for fear of their offering violence to
it: but it went, and no hurt done. To the Tower to speak with
Sir John Robinson about the bad condition of the pressed men for
want of clothes.

11th. I away by coach to St. James's, and there hear that the
Duchesse is lately brought to bed of a boy. By and by called to
wait on the Duke, the King being present; and there agreed, among
other things, of the places to build the ten new great ships
ordered to be built; and as to the relief of prisoners is
Holland. And then, about several stories of the basenesse of the
King of Spain's being served with officers: they in Flanders
having as good common men as any Prince in the world, but the
veriest cowards for the officers, nay for the general officers,
as the Generall and Lieutenant-generall, in the whole world.
But, above all things, the King did speak most in contempt of the
ceremoniousnesse of the King of Spain, that he do nothing but
under some ridiculous form or other. I shall get in near 2000l.
into my own hands, which is in the King's, upon tallies; which
will be a pleasure to me, and satisfaction to have a good sum in
my own hands, whatever evil disturbances should be in the State;
though it troubles me to lose so great a profit as the King's
interest of ten per cent. for that money.

12th. With Sir W. Coventry into London, to the office. And all
the way I observed him mightily to make mirth of the Duke of
Albemarle and his people about him, saying, that he was the
happiest man in the world for doing of great things by sorry
instruments. And so particularized in Sir W. Clerke, and Riggs,
and Halsey, and others. And then again said that the only
duality eminent in him was, that he did persevere; and indeed he
is a very drudge, and stands by the King's business.

14th. Up betimes to the office, to write fair a laborious letter
I wrote as from the Board to the Duke of York, laying out our
want of money again; and particularly the business of Captain
Cocke's tender of hemp, which my Lord Brouncker brought in under
an unknown hand without name. Wherein his Lordship will have no
great success, I doubt. That being done, I down to Thames-
streete, and there agreed for four or five tons of corke, to send
this day to the fleet, being a new device to make barricados
with, instead of junke. After a song in the garden, which is now
the greatest pleasure I take, and indeed do please me mightily,
to bed. This evening I had Davila brought home to me and find it
a most excellent history as ever I read.

16th. A wonderful dark sky, and shower of rain this morning. At
Harwich a shower of hail as big as walnuts.

18th. To St. James's after my fellows; and here, among other
things, before us all, the Duke of York did say, that now at
length is come to a sure knowledge that the Dutch did lose in the
late engagements twenty-nine captains and thirteen ships. Upon
which Sir W. Coventry did publickly move, that if his Royal
Highness had this of a certainty, it would be of use to send this
down to the fleet, and to cause it to be spread about the fleet,
for the recovering of the spirits of the officers and seamen; who
are under great dejectednes, for want of knowing that they did do
any thing against the enemy, notwithstanding all that they did to
us. Which, though it be true, yet methought was one of the most
dishonourable motions to our countrymen that ever was made; and
is worth remembering. Thence with Sir W. Pen home, calling at
Lilly's, to have a time appointed when to be drawn among the
other Commanders of Flags the last year's fight. And so full of
work Lilly is, that he was fain to take his table-book out to see
how his time is appointed, and appointed six days hence for him
to come between seven and eight in the morning. Thence with him
home; and there by appointment I find Dr. Fuller, now Bishop of
Limericke, in Ireland; whom I knew in his low condition at
Twittenham and find the Bishop the same good man that ever; and
in a word, kind to us, and, methinks, one of the comeliest and
most becoming prelates in all respects that ever I saw in my
life. During dinner comes an acquaintance of his, Sir Thomas
Littleton [Afterwards made Treasurer of the Navy in conjunction
with Sir Thomas Osborn.] whom I knew not while he was in my
house, but liked his discourse: and afterwards, by Sir W. Pen,
do come to know that he is one of the greatest speakers in the
House of Commons, and the usual second to the great Vaughan. So
was sorry I did observe him no more, and gain more of his
acquaintance. Walked to Woolwich, reading "the Rivall Ladys" [A
Tragi-comedy by Dryden.] all the way, and find it a most
pleasant and fine writ play.

19th. Full of wants of money, and much stores to buy, for to
replenish the stores, and no money to do it with. The fleet is
sailed this morning; God send us good news of them!

21st. At noon walked in the garden with Commissioner Pett,
(newly come to town) who tells me how infinite the disorders are
among the commanders and all officers of the fleet. No
discipline: nothing but swearing and cursing, and every body
doing what they please; and the Generalls, understanding no
better, suffer it, to the reproaching of this Board, or whoever
it will be. He himself hath been challenged twice to the field,
or something as good, by Sir Edward Spragge and Capt. Seamons
[QUERY Seymour?] He tells me that captains carry, for all the
late orders, what men they please. So that he fears, and I do no
less, that God Almighty can bless us while we keep in this
disorder that we are in: he observing to me too, that there is
no man of counsel or advice in the fleet; and the truth is, that
the gentlemen captains will undo us for they are not to be kept
in order, their friends about the King and Duke, and their own
houses are so free, that it is not for any person but the Duke
himself to have any command over them.

22nd. Walked to White Hall, where saw nobody almost, but walked
up and down with Hugh May, [An architect, and Comptroller of the
works at Windsor Castle. Ob 1684.] who is a very ingenious man.
Among other things, discoursing of the present fashion of gardens
to make them plain, that we have the best walks of gravell in the
world, France having none, nor Italy: and our green of our
bowling allies is better than any they have. So our business
here being ayre, this is the best way, only with a little mixture
of statues, or pots, which may be handsome, and so filled with
another pot of such or such a flower or greene as the season of
the year will bear. And then for flowers, they are best seen in
a little plat by themselves; besides, their borders spoil the
walks of another garden; and then for fruit, the best way is to
have walls built circularly one within another, to the South, on
purpose for fruit, and leave the walking garden only for that
use. Sir Richard Fanshaw is lately dead at Madrid. The fleet
cannot get clear of the River, but expect the first wind to be
out, and then to be sure to fight. The Queene and Maids of
Honour are at Tunbridge.

23rd. All full of expectation of the fleet's engagement, but it
is not yet. Sir W. Coventry says they are eighty-nine men-of-
war, but one fifth-rate; and that the Sweepstakes, which carries
forty guns. They are most infinitely manned. He tells me the
Loyal London, Sir J. Smith, (which, by the way, he commends to be
the best ship in the world, large and small) hath above eight
hundred men; and moreover takes notice, which is worth notice,
that the fleet hath lain now near fourteen days without any
demand for a farthing-worth of any thing of any kind, but only to
get men. He also observes, that with this excess of men,
nevertheless, they have thought fit to leave behind them sixteen
ships, which they have robbed of their men, which certainly might
have been manned, and they have been serviceable in the fight,
and yet the fleet well-manned, according to the excess of
supernumeraries, which we hear they have. At least two or three
of them might have been left manned, and sent away with the
Gottenburgh ships. They conclude this to be much the best fleet,
for force of guns, greatness and number of ships and men, that
ever England did see; being as Sir W. Coventry reckons, besides
those left behind, eighty-nine men-of-war, and twenty-five ships,
though we cannot hear that they have with them above eighteen.
The French are not yet joined with the Dutch, which do dissatisfy
the Hollanders, and if they should have a defeat, will undo De
Witt; the people generally of Holland do hate this league with
France.

25th. At White Hall; we find the Court gone to Chapel, it being
St. James's-day. And by and by, while they are at chapel, and we
waiting chapel being done, come people out of the Park, telling
us that the guns are heard plainly. And so every body to the
Park, and by and by the chapel done, and the King and Duke into
the bowling green, and upon the leads, whither I went, and there
the guns were plain to be heard; though it was pretty to hear how
confident some would be in the lowdnesse of the guns, which it
was as much as ever I could do to hear them. By and by the King
to dinner, and I waited there his dining; but, Lord! how little
I should be pleased, I think, to have so many people crowding
about me; and among other things it astonished me to see my Lord
Barkeshire [Thomas Howard, second son of Thomas first Earl of
Suffolk created Earl of Berkshire 1625-6, K.G. Ob. 1669, aged
nearly 90.] waiting at table, and serving the King drink, in
that dirty pickle as I never saw man in my life. Here I met Mr.
Williams, who would have me to dine where he was invited to dine,
at the Backe-stayres. So after the King's meat was taken away,
we thither; but he could not stay, but left me there among two or
three of the King's servants, where we dined with the meat that
come from his table; which was most excellent, with most brave
drink cooled in ice, (which at this hot time was welcome,) and I
drinking no wine, had metheglin for the King's own drinking,
which did please me mightily.

27th. To Sir W. Coventry's lodging, and there he showed me
Captain Talbot's letter, wherein he says that the fight begun on
the 25th: that our White squadron begun with one of the Dutch
squadrons, and then the Red with another, so hot that we put them
both to giving way, and so they continued in pursuit all the day,
and as long as he stayed with them: that the blow fell to the
Zealand squadron; and after a long dispute, he against two or
three great ships, received eight or nine dangerous shots, and so
come away; and says, he saw the Resolution burned by one of their
fire-ships, and four or five of the enemy's. But says that two
or three of our great ships were in danger of being fired by our
fire-ships, which Sir W. Coventry nor I cannot understand. But
upon the whole, he and I walked two or three turns in the Park
under the great trees, and no doubt that this gallant is come
away a little too soon, having lost never a mast nor sail. And
then we did begin to discourse of the young genteel captains,
which he was very free with me in speaking his mind of the
unruliness of them; and what a loss the King hath of his old men,
and now of this Hannam, of the Resolution, if he be dead. He
told me how he is disturbed to hear the commanders at sea called
cowards here on shore.

28th. To my Lord Lauderdale's, where we find some Scotch people
at supper. Pretty odd company; though my Lord Brouncker tells
me, my Lord Lauderdale is a man of mighty good reason and
judgement. But at supper there played one of their servants upon
the viallin some Scotch tunes only; several, and the best of
their country, as they seemed to esteem them, by their praising
and admiring them: but, Lord! the strangest ayre that ever I
heard in my life, and all of one cast. But strange to hear my
Lord Lauderdale say himself that he had rather hear a cat mew
than the best musique in the world; and the better the musique,
the more sick it makes him; and that of all instruments, he hates
the lute most, and next to that, the baggpipe.

29th. All the town is full of a victory. By and by a letter
from Sir W. Coventry tells me that we have the victory. Beat
them into the Weelings: had taken two of their great ships; but
by the orders of the Generalls they are burned. This being,
methought, but a poor result after the fighting of two so great
fleets, and four days having no tidings of them: I was still
impatient; but could know no more. I to Sir W. Batten, where the
Lieutenant of the Tower was, and Sir John Minnes, and the news I
find is what I had heard before; only that our Blue squadron, it
seems, was pursued the most of the time, having more ships, a
great many, than its number allotted to its share. Young Seamour
is killed, the only captain slain. The Resolution burned; but,
as they say, most of her crew and commander saved. This is all,
only we keep the sea, which denotes a victory, or at least that
we are not beaten; but no great matters to brag of, God knows.

30th. To Sir W. Coventry, at St. James's, where I find him in
his new closet, which is very fine, and well supplied with
handsome books. I find him speak very slightly of the late
victory: dislikes their staying with the fleet up their coast;
believing that the Dutch will come out in fourteen days, and then
we with our unready fleet, by reason of some of the ships being
maymed, shall be in bad condition to fight them upon their own
coast: is much dissatisfied with the great number of men, and
their fresh demands of twenty-four victualling ships, they going
out the other day as full as they could stow. He spoke slightly
of the Duke of Albemarle, saying, when De Ruyter come to give him
a broadside--"Now," says he, (chewing of tobacco the while) "will
this fellow come and give me two broadsides, and then he shall
run;" but it seems he held him to it two hours, till the Duke
himself was forced to retreat to refit, and was towed off, and De
Ruyter staid for him till he come back again to fight. One in
the ship saying to the Duke, "Sir, methinks De Ruyter hath given
us more than two broadsides;"-- "Well," says the Duke, "but you
shall find him run by and by," and so he did, says Sir W.
Coventry; but after the Duke himself had been first made to fall
off. The Resolution had all brass guns, being the same that Sir
J. Lawson had in her in the Straights. It is observed, that the
two fleets were even in number to one ship. Thence home; and to
sing with my wife and Mercer [Mrs. Pepys's maid.] in the garden;
and coming in I find my wife plainly dissatisfied with me, that I
can spend so much time with Mercer, teaching her to sing, and
could never take the pains with her. Which I acknowledge; but it
is because that the girl do take musick mighty readily, and she
do not, and musick is the thing of the world that I love most,
and all the pleasure almost that I can now take. So to bed in
some little discontent, but no words from me.

31st. The court empty, the King being gone to Tunbridge, and the
Duke of York a-hunting. I had some discourse with Povy, who is
mightily discontented, I find, about his disappointments at
Court; and says, of all places, if there be hell, it is here. No
faith, no truth, no love, nor any agreement between man and wife,
nor friends. He would have spoke broader, but I put it off to
another time; and so parted, Povy discoursed with me about my
Lord Peterborough's 50l. which his man did give me from him, the
last year's salary I paid him, which he would have Povy pay him
again; but I have not taken it to myself yet, and therefore will
most heartily return him, and mark him put for a coxcomb. Povy
went down to Mr. Williamson's, and brought me up this extract out
of the Flanders' letters to day come:--That Admiral Everson, and
the Admiral and Vice-Admiral of Freezeland with many captains and
men, are slain; that De Ruyter is safe, but lost 250 men out of
his own ship; but that he is in great disgrace, and Trump in
better favour; that Bankert's ship is burned, himself hardly
escaping with a few men on board De Haes; that fifteen captains
are to be tried the seventh of August; and that the hangman was
sent from Flushing to assist the Council of Warr. How much of
this is true, time will show.

August 1, 1666. Walked over the Park with Sir W. Coventry, who I
clearly see is not thoroughly pleased with the late management of
the fight, nor with any thing that the Generalls do; only is glad
to hear that De Ruyter is out of favour, and that this fight hath
cost them 5000 men, as they themselves do report. And it is a
strange thing, as he observes, how now and then the slaughter
runs on one hand; there being 5000 killed on theirs, and not
above 400 or 500 killed and wounded on ours, and as many flag-
officers on theirs as ordinary captains in ours.

3rd. The death of Everson, and the report of our success, beyond
expectation, in the killing of so great a number of men, hath
raised the estimation of the late victory considerably; but it is
only among fools: for all that was but accidental. But this
morning, getting Sir W. Pen to read over the Narrative with me,
he did sparingly, yet plainly, say that we might have intercepted
their Zealand squadron coming home, if we had done our parts; and
more, that we might have run before the wind as well as they, and
have overtaken their ships in the pursuite, in all the while.

4th. This evening, Sir W. Pen come into the garden, and walked
with me, and told me that he had certain notice that at Flushing
they are in great distraction. De Ruyter dares not come on shore
for fear of the people: nor any body open their houses or shops
for fear of the tumult: which is a very good hearing.

6th. In Fenchurch-street met with Mr. Battersby; says he, "Do
you see Dan Rawlinson's door shut up?" (which I did, and
wondered.) "Why," says he, "after all this sickness, and himself
spending all the last year in the country, one of his men is now
dead of the plague, and his wife and one of his maids sick, and
himself shut up;" which troubles me mightily. So home; and there
do hear also from Mrs. Sarah Daniel, that Greenwich is at this
time much worse than ever it was, and Deptford too: and she told
us that they believed all the town would leave the town, and come
to London; which is now the receptacle of all the people from all
infected places. God preserve us!

7th. I receive fresh intelligence that Deptford and Greenwich
are now afresh exceedingly afflicted with the sickness more than
ever.

8th. Discoursed with Mr. Hooke about the nature of sounds, and
he did make me understand the nature of musicall sounds made by
strings, mighty prettily; and told me that having come to a
certain number of vibrations proper to make any tone, he is able
to tell how many strokes a fly makes with her wings, (those flies
that hum in their flying by the note that it answers to in
musique, during their flying. That, I suppose, is a little too
much refined; but his discourse in general of sound was mighty
fine. To St. James's, where we attended with the rest of my
fellows on the Duke, whom I found with two or three Patches upon
his nose and about his right eye, which came from his being
struck with the bough of a tree the other day in his hunting; and
it is a wonder it did not strike out his eye. To Bow, to my Lady
Pooly's, [Wife of Sir Edmund Pooly, mentioned before.] where my
wife was with Mr. Batelier and his sisters; and there I found a
noble supper. About ten o'clock we rose from table, and sang a
song; and so home in two coaches, (Mr. Batelier and his sister
Mary and my wife and I in one, and Mercer alone in the other);
and after being examined at Allgate whether we were husbands and
wives, home. So to bed mighty sleepy, but with much pleasure.
Reeves lying at my house; and mighty proud I am (and ought to be
thankful to God Almighty) that I am able to have a spare bed for
my friends.

9th. In the evening to Lumbard-street, about money, to enable me
to pay Sir G. Carteret's 3000l. which he hath lodged in my hands,
in behalf of his son and my Lady Jemimah, towards their portion.
Mrs. Rawlinson is dead of the sickness, and her maid continues
mighty ill. He himself is got out of the house. I met with Mr.
Evelyn in the street, who tells me the sad condition at this very
day at Deptford, for the plague, and more at Deale, (within his
precinct as one of the Commissioners for sick and wounded
seamen,) that the towne is almost quite depopulated.

10th. Homeward, and hear in Fenchurch-street, that now the maid
also is dead at Mr. Rawlinson's; so that there are three dead in
all, the wife, a man-servant, and maid-servant.

14th. Povy tells me how mad my letter makes my Lord
Peterborough, and what a furious letter he writ to me in answer,
though it is not come yet. This did trouble me; for though there
be no reason, yet to have a nobleman's mouth open against a man,
may do a man hurt; so I endeavoured to have found him out and
spoke with him, but could not. After dinner with my wife and
Mercer to the Beare-garden; where I have not been, I think, of
many years, and saw some good sport of the bull's tossing of the
dogs: one into the very boxes. But it is a very rude and nasty
pleasure. We had a great many hectors in the same box with us,
(and one very fine went into the pit, and played his dog for a
wager, which was a strange sport for a gentleman,) where they
drank wine, and drank Mercer's health first; which I pledged with
my hat off. We supped at home, and very merry. And then about
nine o'clock to Mrs. Mercer's gate, where the fire and boys
expected us, and her son had provided abundance of serpents and
rockets; and there mighty merry (my Lady Pen and Pegg going
thither with us, and Nan Wright,) till about twelve at night,
flinging our fireworks, and burning one another and the people
over the way. And at last our businesses being most spent, we
into Mrs. Mercer's, and there mighty merry, smutting one another
with candle grease and soot, till most of us were like devils.
And that being done, then we broke up, and to my house; and there
I made them drink, and upstairs we went, and then fell into
dancing, (W. Batelier dancing well,) and dressing him and I and
one Mr. Banister (who with my wife come over also with us) like
women; and Mercer put on a suit of Tom's, like a boy, and mighty
mirth we had, and Mercer danced a jigg; and Nan Wright and my
wife and Pegg Pen put on perriwigs. Thus we spent till three or
four in the morning, mighty merry; and then parted, and to bed.

15th. Mighty sleepy; slept till past eight of the clock, and was
called up by a letter from Sir W. Coventry; which among other
things, tells me how we have burned one hundred and sixty ships
of the enemy within the Fly. I up, and with all possible haste,
and in pain for fear of coming late, it being our day of
attending the Duke of York, to St. James's, where they are full
of the particulars; how they are generally good merchant-ships,
some of them laden and supposed rich ships. We spent five fire-
ships upon them. We landed on the Schelling, (Sir Philip Howard
with some men, and Holmes, I think, with others, about 1000 in
all,) and burned a town; and so come away. By and by the Duke of
York with his books showed us the very place and manner; and that
it was not our design and expectation to have done this, but only
to have landed on the Fly and burned some of their stores; but
being come in, we spied those ships, and with our long boats, one
by one, fired them, our ships running all a-ground, it being so
shoal water. We were led to this by it seems, a renegado captain
of the Hollanders, who found himself ill used by De Ruyter for
his good service, and so come over to us, and hath done us good
service; so that now we trust him, and he himself did go on this
expedition. The service is very great, and our joys as great for
it. All this will make the Duke of Albemarle in repute again, I
doubt. The guns of the Tower going off; and bonfires also in the
street for this late good successe.